Meet the ECSE Staff

This is Katie's 9th year of teaching here in Rochester. Her first 4 years were spent teaching ECSE and then she spent 3 years at Delta Kelly in the CI program. Two years ago she came back to teach ECSE and is SO happy she did. She obtained her degrees from Grand Valley State University in the areas of Elementary education, Early Childhood and Cognitive Impairments. She also received her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Developmental Delays.She loves and has a passion for working with children with unique needs and promises that it shows every day.

Melissa Buffa attended Western Michigan University for her undergraduate degree in special education (emotional impairment) and general education. Her minor was in Early Childhood Education. She later attended the University of Central Florida for her masters degree and graduated with a degree in Severe and profound disabilities. Melissa taught blended preschool in Orlando Florida for seven years and this is her first year in Rochester and teaching visually structured preschool.

This school year is Kathy's 20th year of teaching and her 6th in Rochester. She took two years off when her family moved to Germany for her husband's job. She has a B.S from Wayne State, Endorsements in Cognitive Impairment, Early Childhood Education and Emotional Impairment from Eastern Michigan and her Masters in Education from Saginaw Valley.She has taught both Early Childhood Special Education and Kindergarten in Clintondale, Fitzgerald, Macomb Intermediate, Pontiac and Rochester Schools. She lives in Rochester with her husband, four children and dog.

April FullmerECSE TeacherBrewsterafullmer@rochester.k12.mi.us248.726.3329

April Fullmer came to Rochester Community Schools in 1995 after having taught Early Childhood Special Education and Kindergarten in another district. She has taught high school and middle school resource, second grade, and Early Childhood Special Education. She has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, and an endorsement in Physical and Otherwise Health Impaired from Eastern Michigan University. She has a master's degree from Oakland University in Special Education, with an endorsement in Autism. She lives in Shelby Township with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Donna Giles has been teaching Preschool for Rochester Schools since 2013. Before that Donna taught for seven years in Lapeer, Genesee and St. Clair Counties. She has experience teaching children from Preschool to Third Grade. She earned a Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan. After teaching for 3 years, Donna took time off to raise a family. During that time she earned a ZA Early Childhood endorsement. She then continued on to earn a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Oakland University, as well as a ZS, Special Education endorsement, from Central Michigan University. Donna currently lives in Lapeer County with her husband, three boys, and multiple pets.

Gina Ruffini has been teaching at Rochester Community Schools since 2014. She has been teaching preschool and special education for 9 years. Gina graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education with a major in Special Education: Cognitive Impairment and a minor in Child Development. She has her Master of Arts Degree in Educational Technology from Central Michigan University.

Amanda WaldECSE TeacherBaldwinawald@rochester.k12.mi.us248.726.3232

Amanda Wald came to Michigan in 2014 from North Carolina. She has taught in the visually structured early childhood program in Rochester since 2014 and in preschool and elementary level since 2012. She has her master's in Early Childhood Special Education from University of Alabama at Birmingham and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Auburn University.

Laura Washer has been with Rochester Schools for 5 years. She received her bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University with focuses in: Special Education, Early Childhood Education and Emotional Impairments. Laura is currently attending Oakland University for Graduate School to earn a master's in Educational Leadership. Laura has taught the Visually Structured Classroom, Basic ECSE and now the Blended classes at Hampton Elementary. Previously, Laura taught Head Start and the tuition-based Pre-School at Brandon School district for 2 years. She lives with her husband and puppy in Lake Orion.